To remember someone
Name a star in memory of someone
Pick a real star from the sky over a place and day you shared with them: their birthday, your wedding, or the day they died. Give it their name and a few words. You get a keepsake to keep or share, and a card that shows where to look up. It costs US$12. It is a keepsake, and the meaning comes from you.
Your star
4Preview your keepsake
The real download has no PREVIEW marks and is full size (A4 or US Letter, 300 dpi), with a second page that shows how to find the star.
Download only: nothing is printed or posted. You pay on Stripe’s secure page; any sales tax or VAT is shown there before you pay. Refunds: 30 days, no questions asked. Other people can pick the same star, because no one can own a star or its name.
A quiet way to remember
Many people find comfort in looking up. A star does not change from year to year, so it can become a place to send a thought: on an anniversary, at a family gathering, or on any clear night.
Choose a date that holds a memory, and the place where it happened. The map shows the sky as it really was. Choose a star high above, or one in a constellation they loved, and give it their name.
Sharing it with family
Each person can make their own keepsake for the same star with the same name, so everyone has one. On the anniversary, you can all look up at the same light, wherever you live.
Being honest, gently
We never say astronomers will use the name, because they will not, and we do not think it needs to be so. A memorial bench or a tree planted for someone is not on any government list either. What matters is the memory.
Questions
Which date should I choose?
Any day that matters: the day they were born, a wedding day, the day you met, or the day they died. The sky on the keepsake is the sky over that place on that night.
Can the family share one star?
Yes. Anyone can choose the same star with the same name, so each person can make their own keepsake. Many families like to look up at the same star on an anniversary.
What if the star was below the horizon that night?
Stars move across the sky through the night and the year. The keepsake says honestly where it was on the night you chose, and which month and time is best to see it.
Will astronomers use the name I choose?
No. Only the International Astronomical Union (IAU) gives stars the names astronomers use, and it does not sell them. What you get here is a keepsake: a real star, the name you choose for it, and the facts to find it. We say this on every page and on the keepsake itself.
Do you send our names anywhere?
No. The names, the message, the date and the place stay on your own device. The keepsake is drawn in your browser. When you pay, only the product and the star’s catalogue number go to the payment page.